Lock switch



y 1938- E. N. JACOBI 2,123,507

LOCK SWITCH Filed Aug. 9, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i i .3, J

// Q H H Patented July 12, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,123,507 Locx swrrcnEdward N. Jacobi, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to B17188 & StrattonCorporation, Milwaukee, Wis a corporation of Delaware Application August9 15 Claims.

This invention relates to lock switches and has as an object to providea key controlled lock switch particularly adaptedfor use in conjunctionwith automobiles for coordinating the control of an electric circuitwith the actuation of a lock having a definite locking function, such asthe opening and closing of the ignition switch.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lock switch combinationwherein the circuit being controlled is broken at two places, one ofwhich is controlled by the insertion and removal of the key, and theother by the motion of the movable element or elements of the lockmechanism.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a lock switchcombination which is practical'in all respects.

with the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of thephysical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the bestmode so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation with parts broken away and insection illustrating a lock switch combination embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but show ing the manner in whichinsertion of the key breaks the electric circuit;

Figure 3 is another view similar to Figure 1 but showing the parts inanother position;

Figure 4 is a cross section view taken through Figure .1 on the plane ofthe line 4-4; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the elements of the lock switchcombination.

Referring now more particularly to the accom- 45 panying drawings inwhich like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views,the numeral 5 designates a fixed housing bored as at i to slidablyreceive a lock casing 1. The casing 1 through its sliding movement maycontrol 50 any mechanism (not shown), as for instance, an ignitionswitch of an automobile. However, the invention is not limited to anignition switch combination and any other instrumentalities may beactuated by the sliding movement of the casing 1'.

1935; Serial No. 35,491

(on. 2oo

The casing l is locked against sliding movement by a locking bolt 8movable in a transverse bore 9 in the casing 'l and projectible by anexpansive spring l0 into a keeper recess oraperture H in the housing.The bolt 8 is retractible out of the keeper recess to free the casing lfor longitudinal sliding movement by the turning of a lock cylinder l2rotatably mounted in a bore IS in the casing I. end of the casing 1holds the cylinder in position in the casing with its inner endso'disposed with respect to the bolt 8 that an eccentric driving cam l5carried by the cylinder engages the locking bolt-to provide thenecessary driving connection between the cylinder and the bolt.

The lock cylinder [2 has a plurality of tumblers l6 movable transverselywithin the cylinder and yieldingly projectible into a tumbler receivinggroove l I formed in the casing in communication with its bore I3. Aslong asthe tumblers I6 are engaged in the groove H, the lock cylinder isheld against rotation in a position in which the locking bolt isprojected intoits operative locking position holding the casing in itsinnermost locked position. The tumblers are retractible out of thegroove l! by the insertion of a key l8 into the cylinder and toaccommodate the motion of the tumblers during insertion and removal ofthe key, the casing has an auxiliary tumbler receiving groove l9diametrically opposite the groove 11.

From the description thus far, it will be observed that by turning thelock cylinder through the medium of its proper key, the locking bolt 8is retractible out of the aperture H to free the casing 'llfor slidingmovement.

In locks of the type to which this invention is particularly directed,the casing is generally yieldingly urged outwardly of its housing sothat as soon as the bolt is retracted out of the recess or aperture II,the casing l is spring pressed outwardly. This motion of the casingactuates the instrumentalities which the lock controls.

The motion of the casing 1 when unlocked in the manner described andalso the insertion and removal of the key, is utilized to open and closean electric circuit, and to this end the housing 5 mounts a liveterminal 20 in any suitable manner as by having the same fixed to abracket 2| secured to the housing. The terminal 20 is, however,insulated from thebracket 2| and is arranged to have an electricalconductor soldered or otherwise secured thereto.

The forward end of the terminal 20 is shaped to provide a spring contactfinger 22 which engages A cap it fixed to the front with a contact 23carried by but insulated from the sliding casing I. The contact 23, asbest shown in Figure 5, is in the form of an angularly bent piece ofwire and is embeddedin a block of insulating material 24. This block ofinsulating material 24 is in turn embedded in and forms part of thecasing l.

It will be observed that the contact 23 has one leg disposedsubstantially radially with respect to the cylinder with the outerextremity thereof exposed for engagementwith the spring contact finger22. The other leg of the contact 28 is partially exposed throughout itslength and pro- Jects up from the curved inner surface 25 of the blockof insulation, which as best shown in Figure 4, forms the bottom wall ofthe longitudinal tumbler receiving groove ii. The location of thisexposed leg of the terminal 23 with respect to the disposition of thetumblers it is such that when the tumblers are projected into the grooveii any and all of them will engage this exposed portion of the contact23.

Consequently, when the casing is in its locked innermost position oflongitudinal movement and the key is withdrawn from the cylinder so thatits tumblers are projected into the groove l? to engage the contact 23,the live terminal it will be grounded to the structure of the lookthrough the contact 23 and the tumblers. As soon as the key. is insertedto retract all of the tumblers out of their locking positions, thecircuit is opened.

Besides being broken by the insertion of the key, the circuit is alsoopened as a result of outward projection of the casing i when the sameis freed by retracting the locking bolt out of the keeper recess oraperture. Hence, it will be seen that the switch mechanism of thisinvention is capable of interruptingan electric circuit at two places,one of which is controlled entirely by the insertion and removal of thekey, while the other is controlled by the motion produced. duringactuation of the lock to and from its locked position.

This makes the combination of this invention admirably suited to thecoordination of the control of an electrical circuit with the openingand closing of an automobile ignition switch, and while not limitedthereto the invention is thus particularly applicable for use in themanner shown in the co-pending application of John W. Fitz Gerald,Serial No. 25,447, filed June 7th, 1935.

For purposes of illustration, assuming that the lock switch of thisinvention is used for the control of a door look as shown in theaforesaid copending application, the operation will be as follows:

As long as the ignition switch is open, in which position it is held bythe lock casing when the same is secured in its locked innermostposition, the electric circuit controlling the door locking mechanismwill be grounded as noted hereinbefore. Upon insertion of the key, thecircuit being controlled will be immediately opened and then if thecylinder is turned to permit outward projection of the lock casing l,the electrical circuit being controlled will be further opened by thedisengagement of the contact 23 from the spring finger 22. This secondbreak in the circuit precludes its closure by withdrawal of the key whenthe ignition switch is closed.

Upon again opening the ignition switch by pressing in the lock casing,the contact 23 will be re-engaged with the spring finger 22, but theThus it will be seen that the grounding oithe circuit through withdrawalof the key is possible only when the lock is in its locked condition.-

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination with a key operable lock having a casing, a cylinderin the casing and a tumbler movable in the cylinder and biased to alocking position from which it is movable by akey, switch meanscomprising cooperable contacts one of which is the tumbler, the other'contact being engaged by the tumbler only when the key is removed andthe tumbler is in its locking position.

2. In combination with a key operable lock having a casing, a cylinderin the casing and a spring pressed tumbler in the cylinder movableagainst the force of the spring by a key, a switch for controlling anelectrical circuit, said switch comprising the tumbler as one of itscontacts and a contact carried by but electrically insulated from thecasing as its other contact, and said insulated contact being located soas to be engageable by the tumbler only when the tumbler is freed fromthe holding effect of the key.

3. In combination with a key operable lock having a casing, a cylinderin the casing and spring pressed tumblers in the cylinder movableagainst the force of the spring by a key, a switch for controlling anelectrical circuit, said switch comprising any one of the tumblers asone of its contacts and a contact carried by but electrically insulatedfrom the casing as its other contact, and said insulated contact havinga part engageable by all of the tumblers only when the tumblers arefreed from the key.

4. In a key operable lock, a bored casing having a tumbler receivinggroove communicating with its bore, a cylinder in the bore, a tumbler inthe cylinder 'yieldingly projectible into the tumbler groove to lock thecylinder against rotation and retractible from the groove by a properkey inserted into the cylinder, and an electric switch having one of itscontacts located in one of the walls of the tumbler receiving groove tobe electrically engageable by the tumbler which forms its other contactwhen the tumbler is freed from the holding efiect oi the key so thatsaid switch is closed upon removal of the key.

5. A lock switch comprising, a stationary housing, a lock mechanismmovable therein to and from a locked position, means for securing saidmechanism in locked position including a key controlled lock cylinder,spring propelled tumblers in the cylinder, a live stationary terminal,and a contact carried by but insulated from the movable lock mechanismand engageable with the live terminal when the lock mechanism is in itslocked position, said contact being engageable by one of the springpropelled tumblers when the key is removed and the tumbler is in itsspring urged position whereby a circuit connected with the live terminalmay be grounded through the lock mechanism and whereby the groundconnection for said circuit is breakable by insertion of the key andalso by movement of the lock mechanism out of its locked position.

6. In a lock switch combination, a lock mechanism movable to and from apredetermined position, means for controlling the movement of saidmechanism including a'key controlled lock cylinder, spring propelledtumblers in the cylinder, a stationary live terminal with which anelectric circuit is connectible, and a contact carried by the lockmechanism and engageable with the live terminal when the lock mechanismis in said predetermined position and disengageable therefrom uponmovement of the lock mechanism out of said position, said contact beingengageable by one of the spring propelled tumblers when the tumbler isfreed from the holding effect of the key and is spring propelled to apredetermined position whereby the circuit connected with the liveterminal may be grounded through said contact, the tumbler engagedtherewith and the lock mechanism.

7. In a key operable lock, a bored casing having a tumbler receivinggroove communicating with its bore, a cylinder in the bore, a springpropelled tumbler in the cylinder yieldingly projectible into thetumbler receiving groove to lock the cylinder against rotation andretractible from the groove by a proper key inserted into the cylinder,a block of insulating material embedded in the casing so as to provide abottom wall for said tumbler receiving groove, and an electric contactembedded in said block of insulating material with a portion thereofexposed to be engageable by a tumbler projected into the groove by itsspring upon being freed from the holding efiect of a key whereby anelectric circuit connected with said contact may be grounded through thetumbler and the lock mechanism.

8. In a key operable lock having spring propelled tumblers returned tolocking position upon removal of the key, an insulated contact disposedin position to be contacted by a tumbler in its locking position, saidtumbler and contact constituting the cooperating contacts of an electricswitch which is closed upon removal of the key.

9. In a key operable lock having spring propelled tumblers returned tolocking position upon removal of the key, an insulated contact disposedin position to be contacted by any of said tumblers in looking positionso that the insulated contact and any one of the tumblers in lockingposition constitute the cooperating contacts of an electric switch whichis closed upon removal of the key.

10. In a key operable lock having spring propelled tumblers returned tolocking position upon removal of the key, all of said tumblers beingelectrically grounded, an insulated contact adapted to be contacted by atumbler in locking position so as to be grounded by such tumbler uponremoval of the key.

11. In a cylinder lock, transverse spring propelled tumblers adapted tobe moved to unlocked position by a key in opposition to their springs,

and an insulated contact positioned so as to form a resting abutment forsaid tumblers when in looking positions so that said insulated contactand any one of the tumblers constitutes the cooperating contacts of aswitch which is closed upon removal of the key.

12. In a cylinder lock, including transverse spring propelled tumblersand a casing having a slot for the reception of said tumblers in theirlocked positions, an insulated contact disposed in said casing slot inthe path of said tumblers to be electrically contacted thereby uponbeing propelled to their locked positions.

13. A key controlled lock switch comprising a stationary housing, amovable lock cylinder in the housing, spring propelled tumblers in thecylinder, and a second contact connected to said movable contact, saidsecond contact being arranged to be contacted by said spring propelledtumblers.

14,-. A key controlled lock switch responsive to removal of the key,comprising a stationary housing, a movable lock cylinder in the housing,spring propelled tumblers in the cylinder adapted to be moved by a keyinserted into the cylinder, a stationary contact carried by the housing,a movable contact carried by the cylinder to contact the stationarycontact in a predetermined position of the cylinder, and a secondcontact connected to said movable contact and adapted to be contacted bysaid spring propelled tumblers upon removal of the key, whereby closingof a circuit including said contacts requires the coincidence ofmovement of the lock cylinder to said predetermined position and theremoval of EDWARD N. JACOBI.

